Washington, DC – This week, the American Lung Association (ALA) formally commended Councilmember David Catania (At Large) for his work on tobacco cessation efforts. It also gave the District of Columbia an "A" in its annual State of Tobacco Control Report for its smoke-free air law of which Catania was the primary author. Accord by the ALA said, "the District's improvement in tobacco control during 2006 has significantly increased from the previous year. The outlook for reducing tobacco use and tobacco related illness and death has never been brighter."

"For many years we robbed our Tobacco Settlement funds to pay for other things. Generally, those uses had nothing to do with tobacco control or even healthcare generally," said Catania. "Because of our work over the past couple years, I think we are going to see a big reduction in some key health indicators."

This past December, Catania won final approval of a package of healthcare projects and programs worth $245 million, financed by the District's recent sale of Tobacco Settlement Asset-Backed bonds. Of this amount, $30 million will be dedicated to tobacco cessation and cancer prevention programs. Catania also appropriated $500,000 in the FY 2007 budget for the Tobacco Free Families Campaign. The campaign aims to reach smokers through community-based programs and expanded training of healthcare providers. In July 2006, the World Tobacco Conference honored Catania for his work on cessation programs.

In related news, last week the District began implementing the final phase of the "Department of Health Functions Clarification Amendment Act of 2005," commonly known as the "Smoke-Free Law." Initial reports indicate that the implementation is going well.

"I am thankful to our bars and restaurants and their patrons for their cooperation in making the implementation of this law a success," said Catania. "I am very encouraged by the evidence so far."

To view the full ALA press release, click here.